5. Naya
FIVE
NAYA
My social calendar was empty, except for drinks with colleagues, lunches and dinners with Darren, and the times when Kara made me babysit, not that she had to make me. I loved my nephew. Magnus was the cutest kid and he and Auntie Naya had a whole hell of a lot of fun together.
I didn't mind that Kara and Nolan used me because it gave me a chance to get to know my nephew.
However, I did mind that they treated me like I was the help, especially since I wasn't paid for my services.
I also minded that they didn't invite me over when they threw parties but asked me to have Magnus stay the night at my place, so they could entertain in peace.
I opened the door of my small one-bedroom apartment when Kara rang the doorbell at eight in the morning. They were having a dinner party and were leaving Magnus with me.
"You have to pick him up by ten tomorrow, Kara. I have an appointment," I warned her. I had Krav Maga at eleven, and I didn't miss that come hell or high water.
"A date?"
"It doesn't matter what it is. You need to pick him up by ten. Last time, you didn't, and it created problems for me."
"You know, if you had a car, you could just drop him off instead of making me schlepp him around," she muttered. "I mean, everyone has a car, Naya."
Well, everyone doesn't have to pay for Nolan and my father's medical bills—that's just me.
Could she hear herself? This was her kid.
"Kara, you know I'm doing you a favor, right?" I said softly. Usually, I let her walk all over me, but the past few weeks had made me feel like I needed to start standing up for myself.
She blinked. "Ah…yes, yes. Thanks so much, Naya."
"So, who's coming for this dinner party?" I asked casually as I picked up Magnus and nuzzled his neck as he giggled.
"It's Nolan's friends…the usual crowd," she replied airily and then paused as if realizing just now how rude it was that as family I wasn't invited to such events at their home. "I mean…ah, you don't even like dinner parties."
I had no idea where she got that idea.
"It's fine, Kara." I swung Magnus, which made him burst into laughter.
"And…Ann mentioned that Amias is uncomfortable when you're around," she added.
I hugged Magnus close. "What?"
"I mean…come on, Naya, everyone knows you have a crush on him. They're almost engaged, so it stands to reason he feels weird that you…you know…."
I kissed Magnus's plump cheek and let him pull my hair that hung loose around my shoulders. "No, Kara, I don't know."
Kara sighed. "He just doesn't like you around. That's all."
"I work in his company." My heart started to hammer hard.
Lately, Amias had been respectful and downright professional.
He hadn't flown off the handle with me and, in fact, had said I was doing a good job a couple of times in meetings.
Even Mila had commented how relieved everyone on the team was because they'd been scared I'd quit if Amias continued his unwarranted public attacks on me.
"He hasn't said anything about that…but I told Nolan that if you screw up, Amias is going to be pissed with him for recommending you."
Magnus squealed, and I set him down. He ran to open the chest where he knew I kept his toys.
"Kara, I don't think you know much about my professional life but I'm very good at what I do.
" I was headhunted out of school by Google because I'd interned on a project that had blown everyone's mind.
I hated that Kara, Amias, Ann…all these MIT people made me feel bad about my qualifications and skills.
Kara had a degree in literature and had a job at some travel site that she quit after she had Magnus.
"Whatever. Anyway, I have to go. The caterers will be over soon."
I stared after her even after she shut my front door. Here I was scrimping and saving to pay off my father's bills, and Nolan was busy throwing catered parties. My brother was a douchebag.
Darren, whom I met for lunch with Magnus later that afternoon, agreed. It was a pleasant November day for a change. I'd strapped Magnus on the bicycle, and we'd come to Copley Square to enjoy the sun and blue skies despite the frigid temperatures.
"Nayaya." Magnus took a spoonful of clam chowder and poured as much on his bib as inside his mouth.
"You're doing great, little man." I wiped his face and kissed his nose.
"You know Nolan and Kara take advantage of you?" Darren remarked.
"I know. But I get to spend time with this little angel. They have a party tonight, so they left him with me."
"Does this mean you may miss training tomorrow because Kara might do what she did last time?" Darren raised both his eyebrows and picked up his beer.
I took a sip of my champagne and made a face at Magnus. "I told her not to. But if it comes to that, I'll just take an Uber, drop him off at their place, and come to the institute."
"Just call me and I'll drive you," he growled. "You deserve better."
"Thanks, D. But I get to be with Magnus, and that makes it all okay. I'm probably never having children so at least I get to have him."
Magnus chattered away as I tore some sour bread and handed it to him.
"Why would you say you won't have children?" Darren put a hand on mine.
I moved my hand away from his and drank some of my bubbly. "You know why," I whispered, not looking at him.
"Sparky, not all men will have a problem with your scars, you know that, right? I don't."
"I know. If only you and I could have sexual chemistry."
"Fuck, that would make life so easy. I already love you."
But Darren and I were like siblings, and we'd discovered long ago that there was no sexual anything between us. Our chemistry, alas, was platonic.
"Do you think I have no fashion sense?" I asked while Magnus entertained himself with more soup.
"What?"
I wiped Magnus's face when he pushed his bowl away. That was his way of saying he was done, and now he wanted a toy. He'd last another ten minutes max on the high chair before he'd want to hop all over Darren, who would indulge him. We did this often enough that we had it down to a science.
"I overheard a conversation Amias had with his girlfriend," I told him.
Darren raised an eyebrow and waited. Magnus dropped the rattle he was playing, and Darren picked it up, handing it back to my nephew.
"It was while I was just about to go into his office. She…" I dropped my face in my hands and shuddered. "This is so embarrassing."
He put a hand on my shoulder from the across the table. "Hey, this is me; you can tell me anything."
I raised my eyes to look into his and let him see how hurt I was. I didn't let many people see my pain…in fact, just my father, Darren, and my doctor who'd fixed me up after the accident. My father was dead, I didn't see my doctor anymore, so that only left Darren.
"What the fuck happened, Sparky?"
I told him what I overheard and how ashamed I was that everyone knew about my crush on Amias.
"You like this asshole?" Darren demanded.
I shrugged. "Not anymore. And it wasn't…it was a crush."
Darren finished his beer and picked up Magnus when he began to demand his attention. Magnus hopped on Darren's knee as he held him. "You've got strong legs, Little Man."
I smiled at them. Darren had his heartbroken a few times and now at the age of thirty-nine was gun shy as hell. I wish he'd find someone and have a family because his heart was so big, and I knew he'd make one hell of a husband and father.
As Magnus began to tire, I took him into my arms, and he sat quietly, holding me.
"I've got to get him home. He's ready for a nap," I told Darren.
"I'll drop you guys off," he said.
His SUV had a bicycle holder, which I knew he'd installed because of me. I tried not to drive as much as I could. Even in the Bay Area I had lived within bicycling distance of my office. It wasn't like I didn't drive at all or didn't get into cars since the accident; I just preferred to bicycle.
I was packing up Magnus's toys while Darren held him when I heard my name.
"We have to stop meeting like this, Naya."
I closed my eyes to regroup. I wish I didn't have to see Ann right now, right after I'd bared my heart to Darren and was still feeling vulnerable.
I straightened and smiled. "Hi."
And, of course, because the universe sucked, Amias was with her.
"You look familiar," Ann said to Darren, and he looked at me pointedly.
"This is Darren Wright. Darren, this is Ann, and this is Amias. Ah…Amias is Nolan's friend and the CEO of the company I work for."
"And I'm Amias' girlfriend." Ann leaned into Amias, and he wrapped his arm around her.
"Hi, Naya. Darren Wright. You played for the Patriots," Amias mentioned.
I saw Ann's eyebrows rise in interest. I was sure she was thinking how I'd ensnared an ex-football player.
"That was a long time ago."
The server came back with Darren's credit card, and he signed, continuing to hold Magnus. He shoved the credit card into his wallet, picked up the diaper bag, and slung it on his shoulder. Like I said, we had this down to a science.
"Dayan." Magnus slobbered all over Darren's face. He chuckled and dropped a kiss on his plump cheek that made Magnus giggle.
"And who's this little guy?" Ann asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"That's Nolan's kid, Ann," Amias interjected, his arm falling away from Ann. "You've seen him several times."
"Yes, this is Magnus," I introduced.
"Maaaanusss," Magnus repeated.
"Does Kara know that you're letting a stranger take care of her kid?" Ann frowned.
My chest felt constricted. I hated confrontations. I didn't like this one.
"We were having lunch," Darren said a little sharply. "And I'm not a stranger. I've known Magnus since he was born."
"Kara never mentioned you." God! Why was Ann such a bitch?
"Why would she?" Darren barreled and I wished he'd just let it rest so we could leave. "I see him when Naya babysits."
"Bringing your babysitting job with you on a date, Naya?" Ann said mockingly.
"Christ, Ann," Amias muttered.
"She's not doing a job," Darren enunciated each word and handed Magnus to me as he got impatient.
"She's spending a day and night with her nephew while his parents throw a party.
I can assure you if this was a job, Naya would be getting paid handsomely for it, considering how often she spends time with Magnus. "
"We should go," Amias urged.
If I thought that would shut up Ann, then I was living in a fool's paradise.
"I guess you're not invited to the dinner party then." Ann had no intention of going without throwing a couple of barbs at me. I had no idea what I'd done to her, but she went out of her way to be mean to me. It was unseemly and inappropriate.
"I guess not." Magnus pulled me close then and gave me a smack on my lips.
"Kiki," he gurgled.
I laughed and nuzzled my nose against his. "I love your kisses, little man."
"You know you can take care of him at Nolan and Kara's place," Ann continued. "She hates leaving him at your place, says it's out of the way and a little dumpy."
Amias was about to say something to that when Darren thundered.
"Lady, I don't know who the fuck you think you are, but you need to cut it out.
Since you got here, you've been insinuating that Naya is a nanny.
She's Magnus's aunt. She's taking care of her nephew, so her feckless fucking brother and his wife can entertain assholes like you.
Instead of saying, wow, how nice of you, you talk to her like she's the help. "
"How dare you speak to me like that?" Ann exclaimed, shocked that someone had called her on her rudeness. A few people around us were starting to stare.
"How dare you speak to Naya like that?" Darren countered.
"Amias?" she whined.
"Enough, Ann. We should go." Amias all but hauled his girlfriend out of Legal Sea Foods.
As they were leaving I heard Ann say, "He had an American Express black. Looks like Naya found a rich sugar daddy."
I held Magnus close to me as I got my breathing under control.
"If that moron is dating that bitch, you need to get over him pronto, Sparky. The kind of woman a man dates says a lot about him and vice versa," Darren hissed.